Sports

Aug 14, 2009, 07:18AM

Last night's Ravens/Redskins shutout

There's no doubt the Baltimore Ravens want to find a reliable kicker after deciding not re-sign free agent Matt Stover.

So, they had to figure that playing their normal kind of game was a good way to initiate the search.

In the 2009 preseason, wins and losses mean even less than usual. Instead, the Ravens have to know that if they continue to dominate ball possession and play stout defense, they have a reliable kicker that can win close games for them.

However, Thursday night's August opener against the Washington Redskins turned out just like a lot of games in 2008, with the Ravens dominating an outclassed opponent and no subsequent fourth-quarter suspense. Baltimore ranked second in the NFL last year, winning games by an average margin of 18.1 points.